It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Scarlett Gayle Barnes Sellmeyer, a devoted wife, loving mother of four daughters, grandmother, and a cherished friend to all who knew her. Scarlett passed away peacefully on February 22, 2025, at the age of 78, surrounded by her family.

Services to celebrate and remember the life of Scarlett will be 11:00 a.m. Saturday, March 1, 2025, at Woodcrest Free Will Baptist Church in Catoosa. Burial will follow at Haskell Cemetery in Haskell, OK. Visitation will be on Friday from 4-7 at the Church with family there to receive visitors.

Scarlett was born in Broken Arrow, OK during an ice storm on January 3, 1947 to Norma Jean and Carl Spencer Barnes. She was one of five daughters and grew up in Haskell, OK where she graduated as Salutatorian in 1965. She continued her education in Tahlequah, OK at Northeastern State University where she was a member of the Tri Sigma Sorority and received a Bachelor of Science degree in education in 1969. This is also where she met the love of her life, Rome E. Sellmeyer, Jr. Upon graduation she pursued a career in education and went on to earn a Master of Arts degree in Special Education from the University of Tulsa.

In 1972, she found her home at Oologah Public Schools where she worked for 31 years. She was voted Oologah Teacher of the Year during the 1997-98 and 2006-07 school years. She made an impact on so many lives throughout her tenure there before she retired in 2010.

A kind-hearted soul, Scarlett was a woman who embraced life with grace, compassion, and a boundless love for those closest to her. As a wife, she shared a deep bond with her husband of 55 years, a relationship that was built on love, respect, and shared memories. As a mother, she was a constant source of strength, wisdom, and unwavering love and support to her four daughters, always guiding them with her nurturing spirit and gentle ways.

Scarlett was a beacon of selflessness, love, and positivity. She devoted her life to nurturing those around her, balancing the roles of a loving wife and mother with an incredible dedication to her students and her passion for education. As a gifted educator with a thirst for knowledge, Scarlett inspired generations of children to believe in themselves and to reach for their dreams. She was not only a teacher in the classroom but a mentor and a guide, leading the way with innovative ideas as well as always offering wisdom, encouragement, and boundless compassion.

Driven and innovative, Scarlett constantly sought to better herself and the world around her. Her thirst for knowledge and excellence led her to be an ever-evolving force of positivity, pushing boundaries and setting new standards in both her personal and professional life. She will be remembered for her loving spirit, her beautiful smile, and her kind heart.

Her legacy lives on in the hearts of her husband, Rome; her daughters, Drake, Mayne, Scarlett, and Meghan; her sister and brother-in-law Sharon and Roger Moss; and five grandchildren; as well as in the many friends, neighbors, and family members whose lives she touched with her warmth and wisdom. Scarlett was preceded in death by her parents, sisters, Nedra Newman, Karla Ball, and Dana Hatfield.